§ Mr. SteelTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will monitor the new beef regime, starting in April and in particular the effect of the £28 headage payment on male cattle to establish the effect on the quality of beef thus being produced.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonWe shall be monitoring closely the number of animals on which beef special premium is688W paid and comparing this data with data on slaughterings of male animals to monitor the effects of the headage limit. There are no quality standards attaching to this premium, but the Meat and Livestock Commission will continue to report deadweight prices on a sample basis. These reports classify the carcases reported on according to the EC carcase classification grid and will thus give us some indication of whether overall standards are rising or falling. I am confident, however, that in the absence of a national quality specification set by the beef variable premium scheme, the market will in fact pay a premium for the quality of beef which it wants and that producers will respond to the signals given by the market place.